Panasonic has recently released four new 12 megapixel digital cameras featuring the new Power OIS image stabilizer that the company says offers twice the shake suppression capability of the previous Mega OIS stabilizer.

Panasonic DMC-FZ35/FZ38 Press Release

Successor to the multiple award winning DMC-FZ28, Panasonic is pleased to introduce the Lumix DMC-FZ38 digital still camera, featuring an AVCHD Lite high-definition movie recording capability combined with powerful 27mm wide angle 18x optical zoom high quality LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT lens (1). Joining Panasonic’s highly regarded FZ series of cameras that pack a high-powered zoom and a host of creative options including manual operation into a compact body, the FZ38 also boasts an upgraded O.I.S.(Optical Image Stabiliser) the newly named POWER O.I.S. and ultra high-speed AF together with other enhanced features that boost user fun and convenience.

Hybrid Superzoom

The demand for digital cameras that can record higher-quality movie has grown in step with the trend toward larger HDTV screens and new technologies of movie recording. Now, in addition to Motion JPEG images, the DMC-FZ38 can record high-definition motion picture in AVCHD Lite (2). It features almost doubling the recording time in HD quality compared with the conventional Motion JPEG format. The FZ38 also features Dolby Digital Stereo Creator to record high quality audio, so you can match the beautiful motion images with outstanding stereo sound. A single model that performs admirably as both a camera and camcorder, while achieving smooth, easy operation in both modes.

The DMC-FZ38 packages a 27mm wide angle LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT lens with F2.8 brightness and powerful 18x optical zoom1 together with a 12.1-megapixel CCD into a compact body. Taking advantage of the versatile 27mm wide angle powerful 18x optical zoom lens, the FZ38 allows users to record both photo and movie with exceptional creative freedom. The lens unit comprises of 11 elements in 8 groups, including 3 aspherical lenses and 2 ED lenses. Notably 2 ED lenses minimize the chromatic aberration that is likely to occur in telephoto images. This set of lenses secure picture quality high enough to pass Leica’s stringent standards and delivers exceptional optical performance.

The super-powerful 18x zoom lens makes it easy to pull in subjects from far away or to take dramatic close-ups. For an added boost, zoom power can be increased to 35.2x with the Extra Optical Zoom function (3). The 27mm wide-angle feature is ideal for both broad landscapes and tight indoor shots, letting photographers capture a wider view. The 12.1-megapixel resolution allows photos to be greatly enlarged while still retaining outstanding detail, or edited by trimming and enlarging parts of the photo to print.

Panasonic’s iA Mode Just Keeps Getting Better – with new POWER O.I.S & Face Recognition
With the DMC-FZ38 taking great photos is that easy. Panasonic incorporated the Intelligent Auto mode in pursuit of the ultimate ease of operation and the reduction of misshots. In iA mode the camera does all the work, leaving you free to compose shots and capture moments. Just press aim, and shoot.

Panasonic’s Intelligent Auto now includes new POWER O.I.S.(Optical Image Stabiliser) – a feature that helps prevent handshake even when using high-powered zoom. The new POWER O.I.S clearly captures subjects in the ultra-telephoto range, which used to require a tripod.

With twice the shake suppression capability of previous models, the new POWER O.I.S is particularly effective when shooting at night with a low shutter speed for example, whilst also greatly improving the quality of shots taken indoors where a flash cannot be used or where a photographer doesn’t want to use a flash because it would spoil the mood. Thanks to POWER O.I.S, beautiful photos can be taken in situations that previously resulted in blurring.

The iA mode is even further advanced with the inclusion Face Recognition (4), a function that “remembers” faces. When a familiar face is recorded several times, the camera will prompt you to register the face. Once complete, if the familiar face appears into your frame again, the camera will display the name you specified for the person and prioritise focus and exposure so that the registered face is bright and in sharp focus. Up to six people’s faces can be registered, and up to three can be simultaneously recognized to show their names once registered. Three images of each face can be registered for every person, to dramatically raise the detection accuracy. And when the angle of view is changed horizontally, the name display also rotates for easier reading.

You can also specify the age of the registered subject and have both the name and the age of the subject stamped onto your photos. When babies under 3 years-old are registered, the camera will automatically switch to Baby mode if the baby appears into the frame. In playback, you can choose to display only photos that contain a specific registered face using Category Playback. You can also view image slideshows of only a selected person. Face recognition makes sorting archiving incredibly easy. This advanced face detection system also digitally corrects unwanted red-eye during recording. With AF Tracking, the FZ38 can lock onto any subject and keep it in focus even if it moves – making it easy to get beautiful, clear shots when a great photo opportunity suddenly arises. Simply aim, lock, and shoot.

In addition to the advanced functions mentioned above, the iA mode inherits fundamental functions users need in a good digital still camera. These include Intelligent ISO Control, which reduces motion blur by adjusting the ISO sensitivity if the subject moves as the shot is taken. Intelligent Exposure optimizes the exposure for each part of an image, preventing blocked shadows and blown highlights and helping ensure that gradation and details are reproduced beautifully. It now features an automatic backlight compensation function that activates whenever the camera detects the subject is in backlight. Intelligent Scene Selector automatically detects the five most common shooting situations – Portrait, Night Portrait, Scenery, Night Scenery and Macro – and switches to the appropriate Scene mode.

Demonstrating it’s true hybrid capabilities, the iA mode is also available in motion image recording.

Outstanding Performance thanks to new Ultra High-Speed AF
The common concept shared by all new LUMIX products for 2009 second half is that of seamless operation, which is indispensable for stress–free photography. Panasonic’s new industry-leading, ultra high-speed AF is twice as fast as its predecessor DMC-FZ28 while the start-up time is dramatically shortened too.

To realize the ultra high-speed AF, a number of re-engineering and improvements are made including the adaptation of higher-speed actuator, the optimization of algorithms and the parallelization of software processing element. The result is ultra high speed yet accurate AF performance for users to enjoy the airy shooting that has experienced never before. Panasonic also replaced its linear program processing with parallel processing to achieve an ultra high-speed start-up of 1.2 second, a remarkable 20% decrease from previous models.

The Quick AF system helps keep focus on the subject while the camera is in recording mode even before pressing the shutter button halfway. This improves the chances of getting the shot because the focus is always near the subject and AF time is minimized. The user can activate all of these useful, convenient shooting-assist functions by simply selecting iA mode.

The Venus Engine HD

The high-speed, high-performance Venus Engine HD has been re-engineered to support the recording of beautiful, high-definition motion images in AVCHD Lite. With its twin CPUs, Venus Engine HD boasts approx. 2.4x processing capability, greatly improving the speed of camera operations.

In image processing, luminance noise and chromatic noise are reduced separately before and after signal processing. This is further refined by separating noise two-dimensionally into high-frequency and low-frequency noise. The circuits then effectively reduce only the low-frequency noise to minimize the unwanted noise and help produce beautiful, sharp still and motion images.

This multi-task image-processing engine has a super-fast response time. The shutter release time lag is as short as approx. 0.007 seconds, making it easy to capture sudden, spur-of-the-moment photo opportunities. In burst shooting mode, the FZ38 can snap approx. 2.3 shots per second at 12.1-megapixel full resolution (5). In High-speed Burst shooting mode, it fires off an incredible approx. 10 shots per second (6). Newly added Flash Burst mode makes it possible to take consecutive shots with continuous emissions of the flash (7).

Despite its outstanding performance, the high performance engine is also more energy efficient to extend the battery life up to 470 shots (CIPA) per a single charge (8).

Perfect for filming…

Motion image recording (9) can be started by pressing a dedicated one-touch button on the camera’s back panel – an extremely quick, convenient way to start motion image recording. Most of the camera’s settings will be carried over when switched to motion picture recording. The powerful 18x optical zoom is available in movie recording, too. A Wind Cut function is also available to block out most of the noise from background wind. The FZ38 also provides a Custom Colour mode and carries over 18 different scene modes from photo scene modes in movie recording. In AVCHD Lite (10) recording, you can select from three levels of motion image quality: SH (17 Mbps), H (13 Mbps) and L (9 Mbps).

The DMC-FZ38 concept goes much further than simply recording HD movies. Setting it aside from the movie recording capability of conventional digital cameras, the DMC-FZ38 also features a Creative Movie mode, which lets the user set the shutter speed and aperture manually to make even more impressive movies. Changing the shutter speed brings special effects to movies, which is especially suitable for shooting fast-moving subjects. The ability to control the aperture is convenient when there are several subjects at different distances and it is desired to have each of them stand out. Creative Movie mode gives the user a wider range of expressive possibilities to explore.

My Colour mode, which was popular in the Lumix G Micro System cameras, is a special option that gives free reign to the user’s creativity. In My Colour mode, the colour, brightness and saturation parameters can be freely adjusted while seeing how the adjustments affect the picture lively on the monitor. This makes it easier and more fun to create interesting, expressive images. The user can adjust the settings that best suit the shooting conditions and his or her expressive intent, for greater photographic control.

The High Dynamic mode is newly added to the existing scene modes. This mode helps to capture a scene with moderate exposure even though the scene contains both bright and dark area together. The user can select either of three options, Standard, Art, or B/W, depending on the desired effect and personal taste to make the photo look natural to artistic.

The adoption of AVCHD Lite lets users enjoy watching not only still images, but also HD movies by simply inserting the SDHC/SD Memory Card into the VIERA Image Viewer (Bulit-in SDHC/SD Memory Card slot) on any compatible Panasonic Viera HDTV or DIGA Blu-ray Disc Player. Alternatively simply connect the camera via an option HDMI cable to a VIERA link-equipped TV and use the TV’s remote control to run slideshows including both still and motion images.

In addition, with the included software PHOTOfunSTUDIO 4/0 HD Edition, it is easy to view and edit your recorded content. You may also upload your videos to YouTube or burn to a DVD disc for archiving.

Inheriting the highly regarded features found in the FZ series, the FZ38 continues to push the boundaries, offering further advancements including the new POWER O.I.S, ultra high-speed AF and AVCHD Lite motion recording. Available from September, the FZ38 offers exceptional creative freedom – perfect for beginners through to serious amateur photographers.

DMC-ZR1/ZX1

Panasonic DMC-ZR1/ZX1 Press Release

Panasonic Lumix cameras go from strength to strength with technological advancements designed to offer the ultimate in picture performance and convenience. Panasonic’s new DMC-ZX1 is the latest addition to the award winning Lumix range of cameras. A younger, sister product to the highly regarded TZ series, the ZX1 offers even further compactness whilst also boasting a powerful 8x optical zoom.

Pocket Power!

Streets ahead of its competitors, the new ZX1 offers unparalleled features – incorporating an impressively powerful 8x optical zoom into a slim and compact body. Made possible by the newly developed lens unit incorporating the world’s first 0.3mm super-thin aspherical lens and industry’s first 0.3mm spherical lens (1) – the DMC-ZX1 is highly technically specified yet remains astonishingly slim and compact.

The DMC-ZX1 features a 25mm ultra wide angle LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR lens and powerful 8x optical zoom (2) together with a 12.1-megapixel high resolution CCD into a compact body. The lens unit comprises of 9 elements in 7 groups, including 4 aspherical lenses with 6 spherical surfaces.

The 25mm ultra wide-angle feature is ideal for both broad landscapes and tight indoor shots like parties, restaurants or just in the home, letting photographers capture a wider view. Add to this the impressive 8x optical zoom lens and you can effortlessly zoom in and capture subjects in the distant, with dynamic perspective – ensuring you never miss that special moment. Perfect for concerts, festivals or even just when out and about, this powerful zoom also works during motion picture recording. Further, in 3-megapixel resolution mode, the Extra Optical Zoom function uses the centre part of the CCD to provide additional magnification, extending the zoom power to 15.6x.

Introducing the New POWER O.I.S

Panasonic’s Intelligent Auto mode – a hallmark of Lumix cameras – is now further advanced with the inclusion of further advanced image stabilisation system POWER O.I.S and Face Recognition (3). In iA mode, the camera does all the work, leaving you free to compose shots and capture moments. Just press, aim and shoot.

Taking advantage of Panasonic’s accumulated optical technologies, MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabiliser) has been incorporated into Lumix cameras from the early stage of digital camera development. Demonstrating the absolute need for hand-shake compensation led to its prevalence throughout the industry. MEGA O.I.S. has now evolved into the new POWER O.I.S., helping prevent handshake even when using high-powered zoom. The new POWER O.I.S clearly captures subjects in the ultra-telephoto range, which previously required a tripod.

With twice the shake suppression capability of previous models, the new POWER O.I.S is particularly effective when shooting at night with a low shutter speed for example, whilst also greatly improving the quality of shots taken indoors where a flash cannot be used or where a photographer doesn’t want to use a flash because it would spoil the mood. Thanks to POWER O.I.S, beautiful photos can be taken in situations that previously resulted in blurring.

Advanced Face Recognition for Beautiful Portrait Photography

The iA mode is even further advanced with the inclusion Face Recognition (4), a function that “remembers” faces. When a familiar face is recorded several times, the camera will prompt you to register the face. Once complete, if the familiar face appears into your frame again, the camera will display the name you specified for the person and prioritise focus and exposure so that the registered face is bright and in sharp focus. Up to six people’s faces can be registered, and up to three can be simultaneously recognized to show their names once registered. Three images of each face can be registered for every person, to dramatically raise the detection accuracy. And when the angle of view is changed horizontally, the name display also rotates for easier reading.

With AF Tracking, the ZX1 can lock onto any subject and keep it in focus even if it moves – making it easy to get beautiful, clear shots when a great photo opportunity suddenly arises. Simply aim, lock, and shoot.

In addition to the advanced functions mentioned above, the iA mode inherits fundamental functions users need in a good digital still camera. These include Intelligent ISO Control, which reduces motion blur by adjusting the ISO sensitivity if the subject moves as the shot is taken. Intelligent Exposure optimizes the exposure for each part of an image, preventing blocked shadows and blown highlights and helping ensure that gradation and details are reproduced beautifully. It now features an automatic backlight compensation function that activates whenever the camera detects the subject is in backlight. Intelligent Scene Selector automatically detects the five most common shooting situations – Portrait, Night Portrait, Scenery, Night Scenery and Macro – and switches to the appropriate Scene mode.

Outstanding Performance thanks to new Ultra High-Speed AF

Committed to ensuring seamless operation for stress-free photography, Panasonic is not one to rest on its laurels. In order to respond to the foremost desire of all photographers – to catch every possible shooting opportunity – Panasonic went back to the basis and developed an industry-leading, ultra high-speed AF that is twice as fast as its sister model the DMC-TZ7. If this wasn’t enough, Panasonic also dramatically shortened the start up time too.

To realize the ultra high-speed AF, a number of re-engineering and further improvements are made including the adaptation of higher-speed actuator, the optimization of algorithms and the parallelization of software processing element. The result is ultra high speed yet accurate AF performance for users to enjoy the airy shooting that has experienced never before. Panasonic also replaced its linear program processing with parallel processing to achieve an ultra high-speed start-up of 1.1 second.

The Quick AF system helps keep focus on the subject while the camera is in recording mode even before pressing the shutter button halfway. This improves the chances of getting the shot because the focus is always near the subject and AF time is minimized. The user can activate all of these useful, convenient shooting-assist functions by simply selecting iA mode.

The Venus Engine V

In image processing, luminance noise and chromatic noise are reduced separately before and after signal processing. This is further refined by separating noise two-dimensionally into high-frequency and low-frequency noise. The circuits then effectively reduce only the low-frequency noise to minimize the unwanted noise and help produce beautiful, sharp still and motion images.

This multi-task image-processing engine has a super-fast response time. The shutter release time lag is as short as approx. 0.007 seconds, making it easy to capture sudden, spur-of-the-moment photo opportunities. In burst shooting mode, the ZX1/ZR1 can snap approx. 2.3 shots per second at 12.1-megapixel full resolution (5). In High-speed Burst shooting mode, it fires off an incredible approx. 10 shots per second (6) and the Flash Burst mode makes it possible to take consecutive shots with continuous emissions of the flash (7).

In addition to its outstanding performance, the high performance engine is also more energy efficient to extend the battery life up to 330 shots (CIPA) per a single charge.

Enjoy viewing your images

Highly specified, yet remaining easy to use – the new FX60 includes a variety of features to expand the fun and convenience for users. For example, all Lumix cameras can take 1920 x 1080 pixel HD (high-definition) quality photos that perfectly fit a wide-screen (16:9) HDTV for full-screen viewing. The new DMC-FX60 even records dynamic HD motion pictures in 1280 x 720p at a smooth 30 fps, in addition to WVGA (848 x 480) and normal VGA (640 x 480) (8). With HD component output capability, you can enjoy watching still and motion pictures in stunning HD quality taken by your DMC-FX60 by simply connecting the camera to a TV via an optional component cable (DMW-HDC2).

In addition, with the included software PHOTOfunSTUDIO 4.0, it is easy to view and edit your recorded contents. You may also choose to upload your videos to YouTube or burn them to a DVD disc for archiving.

Elegantly finished with a high quality aluminium texture which resists fingerprints – you can choose from a wide range of colours (red, white, blue, black and silver). With its slim, compact, pocket-fitting size and impressive specifications, the ZX1 is a great partner for travelling or for everyday snapshots. The ZX1 will be available from September so there’s not long to wait!

DMC-FX65/FX60

Panasonic DMC-FX65/FX60 Press Release

Beautifully designed and packed with high-end features, Panasonic is pleased to announce the new DMC-FX60, an eminently worthy addition to the Lumix line of advanced digital cameras. Featuring a 25mm ultra-wide-angle (1) LEICA DC lens and powerful 5x optical zoom, this 12.1-megapixel ultra elegant compact camera is set to be a firm favourite.

Looking at the Lens

The new DMC-FX60 packages a 25mm Leica DC VARIO-ELMARIT high-quality lens with 5x optical zoom, offering F2.8 brightness. Comprising 7 elements in 6 groups, including 3 aspherical lenses with 5 aspherical surfaces, this advanced lens unit passes Leica’s stringent standards and delivers an exceptional optical performance. Notably, Panasonic achieved the world’s first incorporation of 0.3mm super thin aspherical lens and the industry first 0.3mm spherical lens in the DMC-FX60 (2). This makes it possible to fit the 25-125mm high performance lens in an astonishing slim and compact body. The 25mm ultra-wide-angle lens records almost double the viewing space at the same shooting distance compared to ordinary 35mm cameras. Further, in 3-megapixel resolution mode, the Extra Optical Zoom function provides additional magnification, extending the zoom power to 9.8x by using the center part of the CCD.

Outstanding Performance thanks to the Enhanced Venus Engine V

The common concept shared by all new LUMIX products for 2009 second half is seamless operation, which is indispensable for stress-free photography. In order to respond to the foremost desire of all photographers – to catch every possible shooting opportunity, Panasonic went back to the basics and developed an industry-leading, ultra high-speed AF that is twice as fast as its predecessor FX40. Not only is AF speed much improved, start-up time has been much reduced also.

To realize the ultra high-speed AF, a number of re-engineering and further improvements are made including the adaptation of higher-speed actuator, the optimization of algorithms and the parallelization of software processing element. The result is ultra high speed yet accurate AF performance for users to enjoy a freedom of shooting never possible before. Panasonic also replaced its linear program processing with parallel processing to achieve an ultra high-speed start-up of 1.1 seconds – remarkable!

In image processing, luminance noise and chromatic noise are reduced separately before and after signal processing. This is further refined by separating noise two-dimensionally into high-frequency and low-frequency noise. The circuits then effectively reduce only the low-frequency noise to minimize the unwanted noise and help produce beautiful, sharp still and motion images.

This multi-task image-processing engine has a super-fast response time. The shutter release time lag is as short as approx. 0.006 seconds, making it easy to capture sudden, spur-of-the-moment photo opportunities. In burst shooting mode, the FX60 can snap approx. 2.3 shots per second at 12.1-megapixel full resolution (3). In High-speed Burst shooting mode, it fires off an incredible approx. 10 shots per second (4) and the Flash Burst mode makes it possible to take consecutive shots with continuous emissions of the flash (5).

In addition to its outstanding performance, the high performance engine is also more energy efficient and extends the battery life up to 360 shots (CIPA) per a single charge.

Intelligently Speaking

With the DMC-FX60, taking great photos is that easy. Panasonic incorporated the Intelligent Auto mode in pursuit of the ultimate ease of operation and the reduction of mis-shots. In iA mode the camera does all the work, leaving you free to compose shots and capture moments. Just press, aim,and shoot. This mode is now further advanced with the inclusion of POWER O.I.S. and Face Recognition for the DMC-FX60.

Taking advantage of Panasonic’s accumulated optical technologies, MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabiliser) has been incorporated into Lumix cameras from the early stage of digital camera development. This helped to show all digital camera users the absolute need for hand-shake compensation, and led to its prevalence throughout the industry. MEGA O.I.S. has now evolved into the new POWER O.I.S. on the DMC-FX60, with a noticeable performance improvement – twice the shake suppression capability of previous models.

Camera hand-shake , which is physically generated when pressing the shutter button or when shooting at night with a slow shutter speed, is recognized as a low- frequency vibration, for which the new POWER O.I.S. is particularly effective. This greatly improves the quality of shots taken at night or indoors where a flash cannot be used, or where the photographer doesn’t want to use a flash because it would spoil the mood. It captures beautiful photos in situations that previously resulted in blurring.

The DMC-FX60 features Face Recognition (6), a function popular in the previous FX40 but with several upgrades. Three face images can be registered for each person, to dramatically raise the detection accuracy. And when the angle of view is changed horizontally, the name display also rotates for easier reading.

Once you enter iA mode, these functions happen automatically along with AF Tracking, Intelligent ISO Control, Intelligent Scene Selector and Intelligent Exposure – so you can shoot without the bother of adjusting settings every time conditions change. You can enjoy easy, trouble-free shooting in any situation and get the satisfaction that comes with capturing clear, beautiful images.

The Fun of Photography

Highly specified, yet remaining easy to use – the new FX60 includes a variety of features to expand the fun and convenience for users. For example, all Lumix cameras can take 1920 x 1080 pixel HD (high-definition) quality photos that perfectly fit a wide-screen (16:9) HDTV for full-screen viewing. The new DMC-FX60 even records dynamic HD motion pictures in 1280 x 720p at a smooth 30 fps, in addition to WVGA (848 x 480) and normal VGA (640 x 480) (7). With HD component output capability, you can enjoy watching still and motion pictures in stunning HD quality taken by your DMC-FX60 by simply connecting the camera to a TV via an optional component cable (DMW-HDC2).

In addition, with the included software PHOTOfunSTUDIO 4.0, it is easy to view and edit your recorded contents. You may also choose to upload your videos to YouTube or burn them to a DVD disc for archiving.

Available in silver, black, violet, and blue , the FX60 is a truly distinctive camera, with higher specifications that clearly distinguish it from other slim, stylish models. The DMC-FX60 will be available from September 2009.

DMC-FP80

Panasonic DMC-FX65/FX60 Press Release

Introducing the Futuristic DMC-FP8 from Panasonic with folding optics in a new stylish, flat design

27th July 2009

Panasonic is pleased to announce the introduction of the DMC-FP8, heralding a new style of Lumix digital camera. Boasting a futuristic-design the new addition has a stylish flat body built of high-quality aluminium, providing an attractive design for the camera’s rear surface – the part most frequently seen by the user. To further add to its appeal, the FP8 features a blue LED cursor button, adding elegance to the design each time they are pressed. The DMC-FP8 features a high-quality, 12.1-megapixel, 28mm, 4.6x Leica DC lens with folding optics (1), as well as being equipped with many of the features Lumix cameras are renowned for, such as iA and Power 0.I.S. The DMC-FP8 is a stunning all round camera that features both style and quality.

Folding Optics for Futuristic Fashion

The DMC-FP8 features a high-quality LEICA DC VARIO ELMAR 28mm wide-angle lens with a 4.6x optical zoom. This comprises of 10 elements and a prism unit in 8 groups, including 1 ED lens and 5 aspherical lenses with 6 aspherical surfaces, a difficult feat even by today’s standards, this advanced lens unit passes Leica’s stringent standards to deliver exceptional optical performance to the edges even adopting the folded optics. The body is flat due to the retracting lens with folding optics without a fixed lens barrel. The folded optics have been adopted to secure the toughness of the lens unit.

If you really want to get up close and personal to the object you are photographing, the Extra Optical Zoom function provides additional magnification, extending the zoom power to 9.1x (252mm) (2) by using the centre part of the 12.1-megapixel large CCD (3).

Striking design – Stunning Specification

A key feature of the new DMC-FP8 is its high-speed AF, the industry’s fastest in class level. Combined with a high-speed start-up of only 0.95 seconds, this gives the FP8 a fast response that helps to catch even the most fleeting photo opportunities. The 2.7-inch large Intelligent LCD offers dynamic and clear view out of its small body.

To realise the ultra high-speed AF, a number of re-engineering and improvements are made including the adaptation of a higher-speed actuator, the optimisation of algorithms and the parallelization of software processing element. The result is ultra high speed yet accurate AF performance for users to enjoy a freedom of shooting that has never been experienced before.

In image processing, luminance and chromatic noise are reduced separately before and after signal processing. This is further refined by separating noise two-dimensionally into high-frequency and low-frequency. The circuits then effectively reduce only the low-frequency to minimise the unwanted noise and help produce beautiful, sharp, still motion images.

This multi-task image-processing engine has a super-fast response time. The shutter release time lag is as short as approx. 0.006 seconds, making it easy to capture sudden, spur-of-the-moment photo opportunities. In burst shooting mode, the FP8 can snap approx. 2.3 shots per second at 12.1-megapixel full resolution (4). In High-speed Burst shooting mode, it fires off an incredible approx. 10 shots per second (5) and the Flash Burst mode makes it possible to take consecutive shots with continuous emissions of the flash (6).

Despite its outstanding performance, the high performance engine is also more energy efficient to extend the battery life up to 380 shots (CIPA) per a single charge (7).

iA (Intelligent Auto) Mode for Effortless Images

Panasonic’s Intelligent Auto mode now includes POWER O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabiliser) that offers twice the repression power of conventional image stabilisation systems. Hand-shake, which occurs when the shutter button is pressed or while shooting at night with a slow shutter speed, is effectively compensated by the new POWER O.I.S. to deliver blur-free photography. This improves the quality of shots taken at night or indoors without a flash.

The DMC-FP8 also features the popular Face Recognition mode, a function that “remembers” faces. When a familiar face is recorded several times, the camera will prompt the photographer to register the face. Once registered, the camera will display the name specified for the person if the familiar face appears again, and prioritize focus and exposure so that the registered face is bright and in sharp focus. This mode allows for up to three people to be simultaneously recognized and their names shown on the monitor once registered. Three face images can be registered for each person, to dramatically raise the detection accuracy. And when the angle of view is changed horizontally, the name display even rotates for easier reading.

Once you enter iA mode, these functions happen automatically along with other powerful shooting-assist functions – AF Tracking, Intelligent ISO Control, Intelligent Scene Selector, Intelligent Exposure and Quick AF- so you can shoot without the bother of adjusting settings every time conditions change. You can enjoy easy, trouble-free shooting in any situation.

Create HD Movies Too

All Lumix digital cameras can take 1920 x 1080 pixel HD (high-definition) quality photos that perfectly fit a wide-screen (16:9) HDTV for full-screen viewing. The new DMC-FP8 even records dynamic HD motion pictures in 1280 x 720p at a smooth 30 fps, in addition to WVGA (848 x 480) and normal VGA (640 x 480) (8). With HD component output capability, you can enjoy watching still and motion pictures in stunning HD quality taken by your DMC-FP8 by simply connecting the camera to a TV via an optional component cable (DMW-HDC2).

In addition, with the included software PHOTOfunSTUDIO 4.0, it is easy to view and edit your recorded contents, making it easy to view all your families’ special moments in high definition. You may also choose to upload your videos to YouTube or burn them to a DVD disc for archiving.

Fun of Photography

A total of 27 scene modes are available with the DMC-FP8 and the High Dynamic mode is a new addition for the DMC-FP8. The Photo Frame mode allows you to shoot images with fine frame-like decorations, making them the perfect gift. The High Dynamic mode helps to capture a scene with moderate exposure to give you the best results. The user can select one of three options, Standard, Art, or B/W, depending on personal taste to get the desired result.

In addition, the DMC-FP8 also has PHOTOfunStudio 4.0 as its included Software, making it easy to edit your recorded contents. You may also Choose to upload your videos to YouTube or burn them to a DVD disc for archiving.

Available in red, black and silver (9) the DMC-FP8 will ensure that you stand out from the crowd.